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Texpatriate’s second attempt with Eric Dick

“On Tuesday evening, we published an article labeled ‘Texpatriate’s Questions for Eric Dick,’ in our installment of municipal candidate interviews. We received legitimate answers from bona fide representatives of Dick’s campaign. However, these answers consisted of poor grammar and, often times, nonsensical ramblings.

Eric Dick himself contacted one of the other members of this board, Noah M. Horwitz, to announce the answers were not a sincere representation of either himself or his campaign. Allegedly, Dick was never able to review the answers before submission.

Horwitz attempted to assuage the issues brought up by this unfortunate miscommunication by working with Dick to formulate a three-part solution.

First, new answers would be accepted and reprinted if Dick answered a further question explaining how in the world a campaign could have such an error in oversight. Second, the old article would include a disclaimer pointing the reader to this interview. Third, the old article would be preserved.

While I was not personally inclined to support such an arrangement, this board soon deemed it to be in the best interest of all involved parties. Further, we received no negative feedback from both the Hall and Parker campaigns, respectively, for this decision.”

Editorial note: This is the fourth in our series of electronic interviews with City Council, City Controller and Mayoral candidates. We have sent 10 questions based on seven different templates: (1) incumbent City Council, (2) challenger City Council, (3) open seat City Council, (4) challenger Controller, (5) incumbent Controller, (6) challenger Mayoral and (7) incumbent Mayoral. The following are verbatim copies of the questions sent out and the answers received.

Eric Dick (left), Candidate for Mayor of Houston

Texpatriate: Your campaign has sent a set of previous answers, which you have since disavowed. Why did you disavow these previous answers, and why did you submit these new answers in their place?Eric Dick: For various reasons, I didn’t have the chance to review said answers. Furthermore, I’m not a millionaire nor is my campaign funded by special interests, so we run on tight budget. Sometimes we make mistakes. Nonetheless, we are candid as to who we are and what we are about.T: Would you mind delineating the reasons you did not have the chance to review the answers?ED: A mixture of the following:
1. A shoe-string budget
2. Communicating with the entire city
3. Fighting insurance companies all over the state
4. My beloved three-month old daughter
5. Campaign coordinator is out of the countryT: Okay thank you. Let’s start the interview over again.

T: What is your name?ED: My name is Eric Dick.

T: What is your current occupation?ED: Insurance lawyer. Specifically, I sue insurance companies.

T: Have you run for or held public office before?ED: Yes.

T: What is your political affiliation? We understand that City Council elections are nonpartisan, but this is a point many voters find important. If you are not comfortable currently identifying with a political party, what was the last Political Party’s primary election you voted in (a matter of public record)?ED: Proudly a Republican.

T: Typically, this board will defer to incumbents unless we are convinced the incumbent has failed in some way. Do you believe the incumbent has failed at her or his job? If so, why?ED: Yes

Made it criminal to share food with the poor

Questionable priorities with the city budget as follows:

Has no plans to cover next year’s shortfall in budget of $80 million

Has no plans to deal with Houston’s $14 billion deficit

Has increased the Mayor’s budget four times to that of Bill White

T: Why are you specifically running against this incumbent?ED: Because I cannot sit and watch as this administration takes away our liberties and puts Houston more in debt.

T: What is an ordinance you would introduce as Mayor?ED: An ordinance that would repeal the feeding ordinance as I believe it a violation of religious freedoms.

T: Obviously, an officeholder strives to maintain a diverse core constituency and political base, but all candidates have interest groups they have been traditionally strong with and traditionally weak with, respectively. For you, what would be one example of each type of group?ED: I represent all of Houston and have diversity in constituents.

T: What has been the most important thing you have learned in your campaign?ED: That Houstonians are passionate about their city, care deeply about their freedoms, and have serious concerns about the Houston’s financial wellbeing.